


What the Water Gave Me

by Shadow2523



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: But I wanted a realistic way for them to heal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Lots of Hurt, lots of comfort, rated teen for angst and language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27483730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow2523/pseuds/Shadow2523
Summary: And so, the tale of the wolf brothers came to an end, as the big brother wolf gave himself up to the hunters to protect the little wolf. Sean didn't regret it. Not for a second. But he did regret all the things he was missing... (In which I expand the canon and help our wolf boys heal after the events of the redemption ending. First chapter is feelings and emotions during Sean's jail time.)
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Daniel Diaz/Chris Eriksen, Sean Diaz & Lyla Park
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

After the events at the border, Daniel would visit Sean every week. He would beg his grandparents to take him more than that, but his brother insisted that he needed to keep up with school. His eyes filled with tears, he would hug Sean and tell him what was going on in his life. He would tell him about Chris and how much better he and his dad were doing, all the boring stuff he had to do for school, what he had for dinner that previous night, the comic book he started working on… But mostly he just told Sean how much he missed him and wished things were different. Sean would tell him stories of the wolf brothers. His idea. "But I thought you said their story.. was over." 

"Oh no enano. The wolf brothers journey continues so long as they both live. Now.. would you like to hear the next part of the story?"

Daniel convinced Claire to take that old walkman out of Karen's room. Technically, he wasn't allowed to bring it in but… a little bit of manipulating the metal detectors and using his powers to start recording with the walkman hidden in his clothes helped get him by. They found tapes.. and he would record Sean's stories and play them during the night. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but they helped him sleep those first few years.

Daniel grew up, as boys tend to do. And he started seeing less of his brother. His visits went from once a week to every two weeks, then every month, and finally once every three months. It wasn't on purpose it was just… he started to spend more time with Chris and his other friends. He felt so guilty about it and silently vowed to see Sean at least once every three months no matter what. He visited him on his thirteenth birthday. He wasn't sure how he got everything he needed for it, but Sean had drawn him a beautiful picture of him, his grandparents, and Sean himself all sitting at the table as Daniel blew out his candles. 

It was then that he immediately burst into tears. "I'm so sorry!" He cried. Sean frowned. 

Sorry for what Daniel?"

"I...I know I haven't been here as much. I've been… spending more time with my friends. And here you are… and I… I just…" he began, before crying more. Sean sighed and patted his brothers hand. 

"Enano. That's what I want you to do." His crying settled to sniffles at that. 

"You.. you what?" His brother smiled then 

"You really think I want you to spend all your time worrying about me? Dios mio Daniel. I love your visits. I treasure them. Seriously. But I want you to live your life. Isn't that what we worked so hard for?" 

"I thought… we worked so hard so we could be together…" He mumbled. 

"We will be. It will take a while. I'm not gonna lie to you about that. But until then, I want you to spend less time worrying about me and more time being a kid. Promise me enano. 

"I….ok. I promise. But I'm still going to visit every three months no matter what!" Sean chuckled at this. 

"Ok Daniel. You got yourself a deal". 

And so, Daniel tried to continue living his life. He kept both his promises to Sean. His grandparents got him in touch with a therapist that he saw twice a month, and worked on trying to make himself feel less guilty for living freely while his big brother could not. And, no matter what, he always saw him every 3 months, at least. It was hard. On both of them. But even though they were far apart, they still had each other. Lyla and their grandparents and even Chris and his dad would visit too when they could, but the visits Sean most looked forward to were always with his little brother. 

There was something about their bond that not even prison could break. And truthfully, that's what kept Sean going on his harder days. The days that felt endless and lonely.. the days where he honestly thought it might just be easier to die… he kept going. For both their sakes.

Daniel almost imperceptibly grew older. But it was very perceptible to Sean. He was all too aware of everything he was missing. Daniel and his grandparents brought him many pictures of their goings-on. Some he hung up in his bunker… others he kept close. He watched Daniel turn into an awesome teenager. He heard stories of people being miraculously saved on the news, but they could never figure out how. It made him smile. He knew it was his brother's handiwork. Before he knew it, Daniel went from being a cool teen to a cool young adult. He received pictures of his high school graduation. Daniel was so excited to tell him that he came to visit straight after, still in his hat and gown. 

Daniel let him know that he and Chris started dating shortly after. It made him chuckle. They were even more alike than he thought. He wondered how Finn was doing. And still thought of that kiss every so often. Daniel came with pictures when he moved out last year… And he continued to rot as all these things passed him by. He thought he'd rot forever. He truly did. But at least he could take solace in the fact that it wasn't all for nothing. One of them should be allowed to be happy. And it deserved to be Daniel.

Sean didn't think he'd ever see the light of day until.. well….he saw the light of day. 15 years. 15 years of his life. And now he could finally be free. He took a deep breath as he headed through the door.. and embraced his brother without security cameras and guards for the first time in a long time. 

(A.N.: do people still do these? I dunno man. But like… anyway. I didn't want to do a fix it. I wanted something that like...could be expanded off canon? I wanted to showcase some of the brothers emotions during Sean's jail time.. and I want to continue to explains the story after the drive off scene and for both of them to get some much needed healing. Also I thought what the water gave me was such a perfect song for this fic. It's all about the sacrifices that Florence made and how a bargain must be struck because life is cruel.. I dunno. Anyway. I'll try to get the next chapter up when I can. Please review. It's been a long time since I've written and I'd love some critiques. 😊)


	2. Shake it Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean goes home with Daniel and Chris and everything is perfect. For a little while...

For a little while, everything was perfect. Daniel and Chris had a spare bedroom for Sean, and he settled right in. He and Daniel just.. Got to enjoy time together. They played board games.. And Daniel did NOT cheat at dice this time, they watched stupid sitcoms on tv, and got takeout sushi. It was so nice and so needed for both of them. Sean never realized how much little mundane moments with his brother were everything. God, it sounded so stupid… but the first time the two of them just sat there in each others company and ate breakfast.. He cried. He cried like a little kid. Daniel didn’t seem phased at all, and immediately embraced him when he saw the tears starting. 

“It’s ok Sean. You’re home now. It’s ok”. Chris embraced him a few seconds later.  
“The spirit squad will be together forever.” The blond said with a sheepish smile. He was glad his little brother had ended up with none other than Captain Spirit. Of course nowadays he much preferred Chris. He was a genuinely great guy who took good care of Daniel. How could he ask for anyone better? Sean let out a few more choked sobs before he was able to calm himself down. He took several deep breaths before forcing the tears to stop.  
“It’s ok enano. Chris. I’m… I’m ok. Thank you. Both of you.” He said with a weak smile before forcing himself to stand.  
“Let’s get back to breakfast huh? So Chris.. You were telling me about your new job?”

The boyfriends eyed him warily but reluctantly went back to their breakfast as Chris filled in Sean on his new part time job as a freelance comic book artist. It had taken a long time and a lot of practice but.. With some help and support from Daniel, he finally was able to make his childhood dream a reality. He wasn’t a big shot yet.. But he was doing artwork for a new marvel comic. So that was something. He hoped his mom would be proud of him. His little brother, it turns out, had also been very busy. Aside from working his day job as a now assistant manager of a local coffee shop (he blamed Sean for his longtime coffee addiction), he volunteered with lots of advocacy groups for homeless kids. Tried to find them the help they needed.  
“So no one else ends up having to be separated like us, you know?” And that.. That made Sean smile. If ever he doubted if his actions were worth it… he need only look at his brother. He had made the right call. 

But that didn’t mean that he was suddenly.. Better. He knew something was wrong with him. That he wasn’t ok. Sometimes he would pretend to be as to not worry Daniel, and so he didn’t seem ungrateful for what they had now. How quickly their roles at swapped since Sean got out of prison. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get better, it was just.. He didn’t know how. And he was.. Angry with himself that getting back some lost time with his family wasn’t enough. That Daniel wasn’t enough. He hated it. He hated himself a little. They had seen each other through each and every hardship they faced up to this point. What made this different?  
Daniel recommended therapy and to his credit, Sean did go a few times to a few different therapists. But.. none of them really seemed to work for him. He trusted all of 5 people in his life and he was supposed to do what.. Open up to a total stranger about his life story? God, they would never even believe half of what he said and they’d ship him off to a psych ward faster than he could say “Puertos Lobos”. 

So he stopped going. Kept up his plastic smile. And pushed on through, just like how he did with prison. Wait, did he just compare living with his brother to prison? Fuck! What was wrong with him? Sean only had himself to blame for Daniel picking up on his moods, he mused to himself. And pick up he did. He tried to help his brother get back on his feet and find a job. It was his turn to look after Sean now. He could do this. He had to do this. But finding a job, any job, as a felon, was a lot harder than it appeared. Who, after all, would want to hire a cop killer? This in turn made his big brother rather melancholy.  
Lyla came over whenever she could too when she wasn’t busy being both a career woman and a mom. But the friggin fighters stuck together. His mood would brighten considerably around himself and Chris and Lyla, but would immediately darken the moment he thought no one was looking. He didn’t know what to do. He tried calling his mom and asking for advice.  
“Oh honey he just might need time. He has a lot to heal from, just like you did.”  
“I know but… there has to be something I can do to help him with this mom. I can’t just sit around and do nothing and watch him suffer!” He could almost hear the smile in his mothers voice as she spoke again.  
“Boy.. between Sean and your grandparents, you turned out alright. Daniel.. It’s great that you want to help him. We all do. But as much as we want to.. This is something he has to figure out how to heal from on his own.” Daniel hated that answer… but he knew Karen was right. Sean had to find his own way to heal. He couldn’t make this better. But God did he want to.  


It’s not fucking fair, he seethed silently. Hadn’t they suffered enough? He prayed for Sean every night that he was in jail and every night since he’d been home. A lot of good that had done him. As angry as he was at everything and everyone.. He silently prayed one more time. He prayed that God would give him something… anything that he could do to help his brother heal. He just.. He wanted to see Sean’s real smile, not his fake “Oh don’t worry enano everything is fine I’m just dying inside” smile. And wouldn't you know it.. He got an idea right at that moment. It was so obvious! It was 12 o clock on a Monday and he was on lunch and he knew his boyfriend was too. He just had to give him a call to tell him what he’d thought of.  
“Babe. BABE. I finally got it! I know how I can help Sean.” He said proudly. He heard Chris chuckle on the other end.  
“I haven’t heard you this excited since they released him. Ok, fill me in. What's the plan?” And so Daniel told him. A trip. A trip to Mount Rainier and that little trout trail, to where it all began…

(So this ended up being longer than expected? I was initially going to combine this and their trip into one chapter but this one just.. Fleshed itself out. I once again chose a florence song, this time “Shake it Out”, to me symbolizing Sean’s struggle knowing he’s not ok and he’s gotta “shake off” those devils, but knowing he can’t escape his past and not knowing exactly how to move forward. Thank y’all for the comments and kudos! It’s gives me much needed motivation to keep writing. This story… just.. I dunno. Have you ever started a fic that just DEMANDS to be written? Tha’ts how I feel about this one lol. Please let me know what you think, anything you’re hoping to see, yell at me for giving you feels… all comments welcome lol. Thank you guys for reading!)


	3. Stop The Stars/Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip. You know the one. We see out boys a little bit beforehand and get to see some of Daniel's feelings and emotions about... everything, and get to get inside their heads a little bit more during the trip. And it turns out Daniel plays guitar? Who knew?

Daniel had been apprehensive to suggest it to Sean at first, but his big brother had taken to the park idea. Expanded on it, even. “That’s.. Actually a really good idea. I was.. Actually thinking about doing something like this but… longer.”  
“What do you mean?” Daniel asked, confused.  
“I…. want to take some time to find myself again. It’s been on my mind for a while. I lost… a lot of myself in prison, enano. I think.. A roadtrip. A cross country roadtrip. You know.. Visit some familiar places. And some new ones too. Get a chance to figure out who I am and what I want. A camping trip with you before I head out will be.. The perfect way to get started.” Daniel didn’t know how to take this news. On one hand, he was beyond happy that his brother was taking some time to rediscover himself and find his spark again. On the other, he wanted to be there and felt like he had failed him somehow. Those familiar feelings from before bubbled up and clouded his face briefly before he put on his best plastic smile.  
“Dude that sounds like exactly what you need. I’m happy you’re taking some time for yourself.” Danel said, trying to sound earnest. Sean frowned.  
“I know that smile. Hell, I use that smile. The ‘I’m going to pretend that everything is fine but secretly I’m freaking out’ smile. What is it, little cub?”  
.  
Daniel pardoned the nickname and Sean didn’t even notice that it came out of his mouth. Or rather, it just came out naturally. Neither of them seemed to mind, as it brought them back to happier, simpler times… If only briefly.  
“I’m sorry, Sean. I am happy for you. I really am. I just… God Sean. I thought I worked all this out in therapy years ago. But… More than blaming myself still, I just… I hate that I can’t help with this more. I want to help you heal, Sean. I want to help you like you helped me. I just want you to be happy and… not far away? I just got you back dude. What if you decide that after finding yourself that you don’t want anything to do with me? And we go our own separate ways? I can’t… I can’t lose you again.” And there it was. The words hung there in the air for a minute before Sean smiled.  
“Enano.. Do you remember what I told you about the wolf brothers all those years ago? The story I told you on the farm? ‘But he didn’t know that nothing could ever separate the wolf brothers from each other. Ever.” He said, repeating the words from their story. “And Daniel, you are helping. Just being there and listening to me is helping. I know I couldn’t get through this without you. But I have to do some of my own work to heal too. It can’t all be up to you. You know?”  
Daniel sighed and nodded. “Yeah… I know.” He hated it, but his brother was right. He couldn’t do all the healing for him, no matter how badly he wanted to. 

Sean did finally find himself a job at a BK, part time. It wasn’t much but.. It gave him something to do. And money to save for the trip. Not that he planned on spending much. He wanted this to be reminiscent of his time in the wild, just without the homeless part. He worked hard, and saved every penny he earned. It took a few months, but he saved several hundred dollars for the trip and Lyla had a friend who hooked him up with an older but reliable car after insisting that he send her lots of pictures of the trip. And before either of them knew it, there they were back where it all started. They came a little bit more prepared this time, and driving was way better than walking there. About 2 hours compared to two days. Getting back to that little trout trail was like.. Stepping back in time for the both of them. It was like.. It hadn’t aged a day. While their “base” certainly didn’t have the little Minecraft fort Daniel had built around it, it still really was a perfect place to camp out.  
They brought a tarp and hung it up to keep them dry, laid out some sleeping bags, and started a fire. They brought cookies for old times sake. And some 7-eleven pizza and a few cokes. Daniel for his part felt a twinge of sadness knowing this would be the last time they would do this for a few months.. Maybe even a year, but he knew it was what his brother needed. And knowing he was taking that step for himself made him smile. Sean on the other hand… just seemed distant. Detached almost. He sort of felt as if he wasn’t really here. That none of this was real. And then… it all became intensely real all at once. Daniel was in the middle of regaling him with another story of his hijinks in college when all of a sudden he just… broke. The tears wouldn’t stop. They just.. Kept coming. When would he stop breaking? When would the pain that he carried all these years finally cease? His little brother didn’t say a word. He just instinctively wrapped his arms around Sean and pulled him in close as he continued to cry. .  
.  
He wasn’t even sure he could list a reason why the tears came. Was it being here and finally realizing how much he had lost and missed? He didn’t know. The two of them.. Stayed like that long after the tears stopped until Sean could finally remember how to form words.  
“I’m scared, enano. I’m scared that this is all I am now. Just a broken, useless…”  
“Stop it!” Sean felt a whack against the back of his head. It was Daniel’s turn to cry.  
“You can’t… You can’t say that. You’re not broken. I know… everything hurts. It hurts for me too. But.. Sean. You can’t let what happened define you. You can’t let all that change who you are. You’re my big brother. The best big brother anyone could ever fucking ask for. So don’t you… Don’t you go and say that you’re useless. Ok?”. Sean nodded slowly.  
“Ok.” It took some time for both of them to settle down but eventually they did and they both tried to make the best of the time they spent together. They reminisced about their first time here, how Sean made everything fun for them to make it like a game. They talked about the future, where Sean would be on the mend and all the things they would do together to catch up. Ball games, movies, more camping trips? They talked and talked until they finally fell asleep. 

It was Sean who woke up first. He remembered when he was a kid how heavy he used to sleep. There was more than once when Esteban would have to pour cold water on his son’s face to wake him up, but he’d always be waiting for him with a cup of coffee once he did. Thee memory made him smile. But.. now that he was older he just couldn’t sleep the same. Every little sound woke him up. And so naturally when the screeching birds nearby decided it was time to start signing, he awoke to see the sun start poking out of the sky. He let Daniel sleep a bit longer. Daniel awoke much much later. The two of them talked idly for a while, neither of them ready to say goodbye just yet.  
Eventually, they packed up their stuff and made their way over to their cars parked in front of the trail. All the stuff in the car, they just stood there for a second, neither of them wanting to be the first one to say goodbye.Finally, without a word, Sean pulled his brother in for a tight hug. Daniel wrapped his arms around him and the two of them held each other close. It was Sean who let go first. He looked up at his little brother, a full grown man now, as if he were seeing him for the first time and smiled.  
“Thank you, Dan. This was.. Exactly what I needed before I started my big trip.” His brother smiled back.  
“I’m glad. Who are you going to visit first?” He asked curiously.  
“Probably mom. She’s the easiest one to find. Besides, I miss the sights from Away. There’s just something about that place that really makes you feel at peace, you know?” Daniel nodded. Away did have that effect on people.  
“Make sure to keep in touch when you can, ok? Call me once you get near mom.”  
“Will do, little cub. I’ll… be seeing you soon. It’s a promise.” He said, before finally climbing into his car, starting her up and driving off towards Arizona. Daniel waved as his brother drove away before letting out his loudest wolf brother howl. In the distance, he heard Sean echo him as he drove off. He sighed then before climbing into his own car and just.. Took a second for himself, covering his face with his hands. He hoped that this trip was exactly what Sean needed and that he came back at least a little bit more like his old self. He started his car, and headed off for home.

It was so weirdly quiet without Sean at home. Chris was still at work when he got back and he just couldn’t settle down. He needed.. he needed his guitar. It was actually something he picked up when he first started going to therapy. His therapist had talked about finding an outlet for everything he was feeling, and gave some suggestions. Sports. Karate. Yoga. Music. The music one is what stuck with him. He would write songs and play them for an audience of one. Sometimes two when Chris would insist on listening. Ever since Sean had gotten home he had been working on a song to encompass everything they were both feeling. It wasn’t done yet but for now.. He just wanted to play. And as he did, he hoped that somehow his words would reach Sean. 

“Here's one thing I want you to know  
You got some place to go  
Life's a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe  
You don't give up, no, you grow  
And you use your pain  
'Cause it makes you you  
Though I wish I could hold you through it  
I know it's not the same  
You got living to do  
And I just want you to do it  
So get up, get out, relight that spark  
You know the rest by heart  
Wake up, wake up if it's all you do  
Look out, look inside of you  
It's not what you lost  
It's what you'll gain raising your voice in the rain  
Wake up your dream and make it true  
Look out, look inside of you  
It's not what you lost  
Relight that spark, time to come out of the dark  
Wake up, wake up….” He sang softly, hanging up his guitar and laying down on his and Chris’ bed with a plop. He said another silent prayer for his brother as he lay there in thought, waiting for Chris to come home and wondering how close Sean was to Away. 

(Annnd that’s it for this chapter y’all. My longest one yet! This was.. An emotional one for me to write. I cried as I wrote it! I hope those feelings come across. This is the first Daniel-centric chapter song wise. The two songs kind of show the duality of what he’s feeling. Both helpless and hopeful. Also this youtube vid is how I imagine Daniel sounding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bf9WGPMJbA The next chapter will obviously be Sean-centric and we’ll get to see his first stop and some familiar faces as he starts to process! That! Trauma! As always, please please let me know what you think. Comments and kudos help me to know that this is worth continuing! Love you guys and I’ll be back with another chapter when life allows!)


End file.
